Bombers looking for nastiness from new O-line hopefuls

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This article was published 16/05/2019 (2308 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s been an undeniable identity to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offensive line in recent years, with some of the adjectives used by its members not exactly suitable for younger audiences.

For the sake of keeping things family friendly, let’s just say the group is a nasty one, prone to violence in the trenches. That fierce level of play at the line of scrimmage has paved lanes for running back Andrew Harris to earn consecutive rushing titles the last two seasons and afforded time for quarterback Matt Nichols to lead the league’s highest-scoring offence in 2018.

That viciousness seemed to take a major hit this off-season with the exits of two critical players to Team Nasty, in centre Matthias Goossen (retired) and Sukh Chungh (free agency). But ask some of the younger guys who are expected to fill in this season and there’s little concern of a drop off when it comes to sandpaper amongst the group. As far as they’re concerned, it remains status quo around these parts.

That includes Drew Desjarlais, who was drafted by the Bombers with the fourth-overall pick in the CFL draft earlier this month.

“The first rep that I got up close and personal down here (Wednesday), he had a guy on the ground pretty quickly. He’s got a real thick lower body, real strong and he’s got a nice mean streak to him,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said Thursday, following Day 2 of rookie camp.

O’Shea, grinning, then added: “A real nice kid off the field, obviously… he’s like we thought he would be.”

It’s unlikely Desjarlais will crack the starting lineup in his first season in the CFL. Even O’Shea said while he’s liked what he’s seen early on, every rookie comes with some growing pains and it will be how quickly Desjarlais can work through those issues that will determine how quickly he gets into the lineup.

Make no mistake, though, at six-foot-five and 325 pounds, the former University of Windsor hog is up to the challenge and isn’t afraid to push his weight around.

“It just comes down to the competition. Whoever steps in front of me, you have to rise to the occasion every single time,” Desjarlais said.

Desjarlais added he hasn’t had a chance to talk with many veterans yet, though he’s seen a few pop into IG Field over the last couple of days. Still, he’s well aware the group he’s joining relishes the chance to add to its reputation of being bullies on the gridiron. In fact, it just makes him that much more motivated to get his hands dirty.

“The opportunity is huge,” he said. “You obviously want to fight for a spot — that’s what camp is all about.”

Cody Speller is another intriguing name at rookie camp. The 25-year-old spent all of last season with the Bombers, dressing for two regular-season games. He played five years with the McMaster Marauders before signing as an undrafted free agent.

Soft spoken and polite off the field, Speller is a much different creature once he hits the turf. It’s his tenacity that first attracted the eyes of the Bombers scouting staff, and it’s that mean streak that has endeared him to his teammates.

“I’m excited. I put in a lot of work in the off-season,” Speller said. “It was a great opportunity last year to kind of learn everything and now this year is my opportunity to put it on the field and see what I can do.”

While his game reps were limited, Speller said the experience he picked up during practice and in the meeting rooms last season is what has him confident he can play in the CFL. What’s made the transition from university to professional football easier is just how close the O-line group is.

When asked what it was like to be a fly on the wall for group meetings, Speller was quick to correct the assumption he was just along for the ride.

“It wasn’t even necessarily that way; every single guy in the room was respectful and open to sharing ideas,” he said. “It wasn’t just a learning process, they were teammates and great guys to be around and spend time with every day. A majority of the same group, so I’m excited to strap on the pads and play with them.”

Speller said it isn’t easy to replace the loss of Goossen at centre, the position he hopes to fill this year, and particularly the edge that came with Chungh, who was considered the biggest hot-head in the crew.

“Sukh, he did a lot for this group. He brought a large mentality but that’s not something we’re going to be losing,” he said.

Three starters from last season are back, including Canadian Patrick Neufeld at left guard, and American tackles Stanley Bryant, the CFL’s back-to-back top O-lineman, and Jermarcus Hardrick playing the left side. Other returning veterans include Canadian centre Michael Couture and American tackle/guard Manase Foketi, meaning there is plenty of experience still in the locker room to ensure the trenches won’t be a pleasant place for opposing defensive lines.

“The way this group plays, I learned very, very quickly last year that if you want to stick around, if you want to play and be a part of this unit you’ve got to have that nasty side,” Speller said. “You need to be on point every single game and if we are nobody messes with us.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton